Automated banking system for dispensing money orders, wire transfer and bill payment

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are provided for conducting transactions through a financial network using a document such as a check or money order at an unattended automated machine. For security purposes a signature detector detects the signature and the user uses a card to operate the machine. A reader reads the amount on the document; and, for a check, the LAR and CAR amounts are compared. If the document is a money order, the user may be prompted to endorse the money order if the signature detector fails to detect a signature. A card writer writes an amount on the card related to the amount of the transaction being done and a calculator calculates the amount to be written on the card and subtracts a user&#39;s service charge. A bill may be paid and a receipt generator will provide a receipt preferably showing payment of the bill and the service charge. If the check or money order is for an amount greater than the bill and service charge amounts, the card writer may write the difference on the card. A portion of the check or money order may also be deposited in the user&#39;s account. A cash acceptor in the machine accepts cash and a cash dispenser may dispense cash.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to automated banking systems and machinesincluding those which employ or are an improvement over automatic tellermachines (ATMS). ATMs are widely available and receive a considerableamount of usage, particularly on weekends, for dispensing cash. Forinstance, it is not unusual for an ATM to dispense $250,000 worth ofcash in the course of a single weekend. The ATM user is provided with anATM card as well as a personal identification number (PIN) or password,so that if the card is stolen or lost, the finder of the card will notbe able to use it to withdraw funds using the ATM card because of thelack of the PIN number. Typically, the ATM user will use the card andPIN number at an ATM to withdraw cash from the user's checking account,savings account or as an advance from a credit card, or transferringmoney from a savings account to his checking account. In otherinstances, the ATM user will use the card and PIN number to access theATM in order to ascertain the user's account balances. In a fewinstances, some ATMs have an incremental revenue opportunity from thecapacity to dispense stamps as an alternative to cash for the user.

Owners of ATMs have found them to be relatively profitable. However,there is a need for increasing the profitability of the ATMs which areprincipally now used as cash withdrawal machines. Competing with thebanks and with ATM machines are local currency exchanges which perform anumber of banking type services for their “profiled customers.” Profiledcustomers are those customers who have signed a signature card or whootherwise have identity confirmation information entered into a networkof a local currency exchange. These profiled customers are local to thearea and are not part of a large area or nationwide network. Often, thecurrency exchange not only has the profiled customer's signature, butthe currency exchange agent often recognizes the customer. Currencyexchanges commonly cash a large volume of payroll checks for theircustomers. The average fee for such a transaction is 1.6% of the amountof the payroll check. This can yield quite substantial revenue when ahigh volume of payroll checks is being cashed. Currency exchangescompete with the ATM machines by cashing personal checks for theirprofiled customers. Most often, a currency exchange will not cash apersonal check for a non-profiled customer of the exchanges. If thecurrency exchange assumes the risk and cashes such a check, however, thecustomer transaction charges are extremely high, e.g., $20.00 or 20% ofthe value of the check being cashed.

Another large volume transaction-type having the potential for largevolume for a currency exchange is the issuance of money orders andcashing of money orders. On average, the customer charge for suchtransactions is about 1.85% of the value of the money order.

Other large revenue generators for currency exchanges are fees collectedwhen customers pay bills for utilities, such as telephone! electric,gas, and water, as well as other bills, such as cable, television orcredit card bills. Typically, there is a $0.60 per bill service chargeto accept payment of a utility bill or credit card bill or the like in acurrency exchange. The currency exchanges operate under contract withthe local utilities and/or credit card companies to provide such aservice.

While currency exchanges are relatively profitable, one significantexpense cost of operation is due to employee theft of currency. Also,from time to time, employees make mistakes when cashing checks or moneyorders, or when issuing money orders. Another shortcoming of currencyexchanges as opposed to ATM machines is that the exchanges are open onlyfor limited hours, while the ATM machines are generally available fortransaction processing 24 hours each day. In many instances, peopleprefer not to let others at a currency exchange or bank have anyknowledge of their personal financial affairs and would prefer to usethe ATM machines, rather than currency exchanges if the ATM machinesprovided some or all of the banking type services now provided by thecurrency exchanges.

Often currency exchanges are used by local residents who do not have achecking or savings account with a local bank, and who do not use theATM machines or have an ATM card. Thus, there is an opportunity toacquire new customers for automatic banking machines if the machineswill have many of the functions performed by a currency exchange or of afull service bank, such as cashing checks or money orders.

Wire transfer of funds is another banking function which is notgenerally available to the general public. Usually bank wire transfersare for very large amounts of money. Rather than going to a bank to wiretransfer money, most individuals, as opposed to businesses, commonlywire money through other companies such as Western Union or through theAmerican Express Company. Wire transfer costs for consumer-relatedtransactions are relatively high. There is an average cost of between$13.00 to send a minimum of $200.00 by wire and about $200.00 to send$5,000.00 by wire. There are many times when people are traveling orwhen they have a child at college when it would be desirable to be ableto transfer money by wire to their child's account so that the child hasimmediate access to the money. If such a wire transfer service wereavailable for use in an automated banking machine, it would provide arelatively inexpensive method of wire transfer for individuals.

A new opportunity available to full service banks and to currencyexchanges is participation in the United States Federal Government'sElectronic Benefit Transfer Program (EBTP). The program will distributesmart cards for use by recipients of Social Security, Veteran's orwelfare benefits. Payments for such benefits may total as much asone-half trillion dollars per year. Clients who have EBTP cards arealready in the government's network. These smart cards are intended toreplace the food stamps, among other things, whose use may lead to theclients being embarrassed. The currency exchanges and the full servicebanks will be receiving a transactional charge when writing an increasein balance onto the smart card. Also, the service provider will becharging the smart card user a fee for each transaction, for instance,when the smart card's balance is decreased as it is being used to payfor food, a utility bill, etc. This represents a large volume usage thatcould be available to appropriate electronic automated banking machinesif they offered bill paying services and sale of items such as telephonecards, lottery tickets, and the like.

Owners of ATMs are beginning to take advantage of such incrementalrevenue opportunities, e.g., by selling stamps via the ATM machine. Thisallows the owner of the ATM to gain more revenue from it. For example,end user items such as theater tickets, lottery tickets or stamps can besold from dispensers in an ATM machine. Because the purchase of end-useritems is less susceptible to fraud, they do not require the additionalsecurity for transactions as cashing checks or money orders.

A number of security problems arise with the addition to ATMs offunctions performed by full service banks and currency exchanges, suchas cashing checks and money orders. The foremost problem is integrity ofthe document being exchanged for cash, in particular, verification ofsignatures on checks or money orders being cashed. Also, the ability toread various types of documents and to provide the user with a largenumber of payment methods requires a relatively sophisticated machinebeyond that of current ATMs on the market and in widespread use by thegeneral public. The problem with checks is not only the signatureverification of hard-to-read handwriting, but also reading the amount,usually written in cursive, on a legal line of the check. In addition,the check has a second line which is the courtesy amount recognitionline (“CAR”) which is written in numerals representing the value of thecheck. Most checks also identify the bank and the maker's account inmagnetic ink.

Another consideration for transactions such as cashing checks, payingbills, or other like things from a remote banking machine is the need torecord the transactions and to leave an audit trail for later manualreview, if required, of the transactions.

A semi-automated system has been proposed to aid in the cashing ofchecks and which reduces the access of the teller to the money. Thisproposed system would require the user to operate the machine andnegotiate the check while in the electronic presence of a teller, whobeing satisfied that the check should be cashed, then verifies thecashing opportunity and operates the machine to dispense automaticallythe funds to the machine user. Of course, such a machine requires theattendance and the presence of the teller, and therefore, is still not afully automated system for cashing checks.

Among some of the mechanical problems that have been experienced withthe remote ATM-type machines is that of providing change in coins.Already, over a single weekend, ATMs are being severely taxed oftencompletely emptied of their contents, and they do not have changemakers.The addition of a coin changemaker adds considerable expense andmaintenance problems to the machine to provide the exact coin change tothe user who is cashing a check or performing some other function.

Another problem with providing a commercially practical automatedbanking machine is that of the time needed for the transactions.Preferably, the transactions should be relatively brief and simple sothat a minimal number of operator actions, such as touch screen pushesor keystrokes, are required for each transaction. If a particulartransaction takes more than a minute or two, the system would probablybe too slow to adequately service a line of people waiting to use themachine at a busy time on a weekend. Also, if the machine offers a largenumber of transactions like those of a full service bank or a currencyexchange, the machine should provide a wide range of funds delivery orpayment options to the user so that the payment can be made by cash,credit card, smart card, or withdrawal from a checking or savingsaccount.

There is a need for an automatic banking machine which includes anATM-like machine that performs and allows a number of service options,such as for example the withdrawing of cash, the depositing of cash, thecashing of a check, the cashing of a money order, the buying of a moneyorder, the transferring of funds by wire, paying a bill and purchasingof end user items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an automatedbanking machine system, which performs the usual ATM functions but whichadditionally issues money orders for the user without the presence orthe assistance of a teller. Additionally, the preferred and illustrated,automated banking machine system allows the depositing of cash into themachine and provides additional functions, such as transferring money bywire, paying bills or purchasing end user items from the machine.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the automatedbanking system machine recognizes the cash inserted into the machine,totals it, and provides communication via a modem or the like connectedto a banking network to pay a bill or to purchase of a money order. Theuser will write the amount into the money order blank within themachine. After having been written, the machine will dispense the moneyorder to the user. The automated method and apparatus provides for thecash purchase by the user of items being dispensed from the machine suchas lottery tickets, theater tickets, postage stamps or the like.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method andapparatus provide for the wire transfer of funds to a transferee over abanking network. In order to carry out the wire transfer, the userenters the name of the bank to which the wire transfer is to made andthe account number of the person who is to receive the wire transfer.After providing payment for the funds to be wire transferred, the wiretransfer is communicated through a modem of the machine to the bankingnetwork and thence to the recipient's account in the receiving bank.Preferably, a receipt is issued to the user showing the sum being wiretransferred as well as the associated transaction cost. In the preferredembodiment of the invention, the payment for the wire transfer can be bycash, a credit card, a smart card or from an account of the user.

In accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention, theautomated banking machine and apparatus allows the payment of invoicesor bills owed by the user. After having been qualified as a user of theautomated banking machine, the customer will see a display of theselection of bills that are payable through the machine. The userselects the type of bill to be paid and also selects from the display,one of several methods of payment, including the payment by cash. Thebill to be paid is inserted into the machine where it is read along withthe identity and account number of the bill payee. The reading of theamount and the identification of the payor may be difficult because ofthe many different formats of such bills. The machine automaticallycommunicates over a modem to a bill payment network. The bill is storedin a bin, and a transaction tag is provided for the bill paymenttransaction. Preferably, the method of payment includes paying by cash,credit card, smart card or from the user's account. In the preferredembodiment of the invention, the user may pay several bills, and thetotal for each bill and its associated transactional charges isaccumulated. Finally, after payment, a receipt is generated showing thebills paid, the transactional charges, and the total expense incurred bythe user in the payment of these bills.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the preferred and illustratedembodiment of the invention provides increased revenue opportunities forowners of the automated banking machine to perform many of the servicesperformed by a currency exchange or by a bank while charging atransactional fee for each transaction. Transaction charges may be madefor a withdrawal from the user's account, the payment of a transaction,a deposit into the user's account, cashing of a check or money order,transfer of funds by wire, paying bills, purchasing end user items suchas theater tickets, lottery tickets, etc.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an automatedbanking system which does not need to dispense coins or smalldenomination change to the user. Dispensing coins adds complexity andtime as well as frequent maintenance problems and service problemsassociated with keeping the coin changer apparatus functioning properlyand filled with coins. The shutting down of the coin operation due to anempty or broken dispenser would likely result in the automatic bankingmachine being out-of-service despite being able to perform othernon-charge producing transactions. Rather than dispensing coin change,the machine of the present invention will transfer the amount of changeonto a credit card or a smart card balance and electronically dispensethe same to the user by storing the credit on the stored card balance.Alternatively the machine will deposit the change balance into theuser's account. Thus, the necessity for storing and dispensing bulkycoin-type change is avoided.

Also, in order to limit the amount of servicing that is needed, thepreferred machine need not be provided with one dollar bills. The lowestdispensable denomination would be, for example, five dollars.Preferably, the cash bins within the machine are provided with $5.00 and$20.00 bills only, so that the amount that can be dispensed issufficient for a weekend without being replenished in most instances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the apparatus embodying the novel features ofthe invention including a left section, a central section, and a rightsection;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the three sections of the machine shown inFIG. 1;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views of an imaging station for scanning a document;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of one section of the apparatus shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the central section of the apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the right section shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a enlarged view of the front of the apparatus of FIG. 1showing the various insertion slots or receiving slots on the apparatusof FIG. 1 with identifying indicia thereon;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for showing the operations occurring afterinsertion of the card and for verification;

FIG. 8A shows the screen with the instruction to PLEASE INSERT YOURCARD;

FIG. 8B shows a screen prompting entry of a user's password;

FIG. 8C shows the progression of the password verification operation;

FIG. 8D shows the screen when an incorrect password has been entered;

FIG. 8E shows that the password is not correct and that the card isbeing retained;

FIG. 8F shows a screen display prompting the user to make a touch screenselection of the language in which the transactions are to be processed;

FIG. 9 shows on the screen the money exchange or transactions optionsavailable for the user;

FIG. 9A is a flow chart which shows the initial welcoming and thevarious options available to the user;

FIG. 10 is a screen prompting a checking or savings step as part of atransaction;

FIG. 11 is a screen showing different amounts for withdrawal fromchecking;

FIG. 11A is a flow chart showing the operations for a withdrawaltransaction;

FIG. 12 is a view showing the screen of having an amount prompt for awithdrawing from saving transaction;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart with respect to making a deposit;

FIG. 13A is a screen showing the prompt for the source of a deposit intochecking;

FIG. 13B shows a screen providing for entry of the amount of a check tobe deposited;

FIG. 13C is a screen showing a prompt to endorse or sign the back of thecheck;

FIG. 13D shows the screen with a message of showing progress inconfirming;

FIG. 13E shows a screen prompting the user to take a transactionreceipt;

FIG. 13F is a screen with respect to a transaction for a deposit intosaving;

FIG. 13G is a screen requesting the amount of cash to be deposited;

FIG. 13H is a flow chart showing machine operations with respect to acash deposit;

FIG. 13I is a screen showing the amount of cash deposited;

FIG. 13J shows a request to deposit the cash into the cash acceptorslot;

FIG. 13K shows a machine verification of completion of the cash deposit;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart with respect to the document scanning andverification operations;

FIG. 15A is a screen that shows an inquiry to the user requesting adecision as to making a further transaction;

FIG. 15B is a screen display of a touch screen version of the screendisplay shown in FIG. 15A;

FIG. 16 is a view of the cashing check screen;

FIG. 16A is a flow chart showing the operations with respect to cashinga check;

FIG. 16B shows a screen for requesting the manual entry of the amount ofthe check to be cashed;

FIG. 16C requests the signing of the back of the check;

FIG. 16D is a screen showing a request to re-insert the inverted check;

FIG. 16DD is a screen requesting the user to re-enter the check amount;

FIG. 16E shows a bar graph of the progress with respect to the readingof the check;

FIG. 16F shows a check cashing and the amount that is available to bereceived in cash;

FIG. 16G shows the completion of the check cashing and the receipt forthe amount deposited to the user's account;

FIG. 16H is a touch screen display version of the screen shown in FIG.16B;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the operations with respect to cashing amoney order;

FIG. 17A is a screen shown to the user when cashing a money order;

FIG. 17B requests the signing of the back of the money order;

FIG. 17C states that the money order cannot be cashed;

FIG. 18 shows the screen used when typing in the name of the payee withrespect to a money order being purchased;

FIG. 18A shows the amount of the money order being purchased;

FIG. 18B is a flow chart showing the various operations being performedwhen buying a money order;

FIGS. 18C and 18D show the method of payment and the total transactionat the screen that the money order is being printed and the request tothe user to take her receipt;

FIG. 19 is a screen display for wiring money;

FIG. 19A shows the account to which the money is to be wired and thename of the bank having the account;

FIG. 19B shows and requests the entry of the Federal routing code;

FIG. 19C shows the account number being added;

FIG. 19D shows a screen requesting the amount and shows a servicecharge;

FIG. 19E is a flow chart showing the operations for a wire transfer;

FIG. 19F shows the total of the transaction and requests a selection ofthe method of payment;

FIG. 20 is a screen showing a number of bills that can be paid throughthe apparatus;

FIG. 20A shows a telephone bill, service charge and total amount to becharged for payment of the telephone bill;

FIG. 20B shows a screen requesting entry of the telephone bill into thescanner slot;

FIG. 20C shows the selection of a gas bill for payment as well as atelephone bill;

FIG. 20D requests insertion of the gas bill into the scanner slot;

FIG. 20E shows the payment for a credit card bill;

FIG. 20F shows the amount of payment with respect to the telephone, gasand credit card bills; and the request for the method of payment;

FIG. 20G shows the screen when the bill is to paid by credit card;

FIG. 20H is a flow chart showing the operations that occur during a billpayment;

FIG. 20I shows a screen confirming payment of the bills;

FIG. 20J is a touch screen display version of the screen shown in FIG.20;

FIG. 21 shows a screen for purchase of items such as stamps, smart cardsor telephone cards;

FIG. 21A is a flow chart showing the various operations that occurduring the purchasing transaction;

FIG. 21B shows a screen displaying request for a purchase of three smartcards and one telephone card;

FIG. 21C shows the total transaction and requests a selection of themethod of payment;

FIG. 21D shows a screen showing a $25.00 transaction and showing howmuch has been inserted to pay for the transaction;

FIG. 21E shows that $20.00 has been paid;

FIG. 21F shows that $21.00 has been paid;

FIG. 21G shows that $24.00 has been paid;

FIG. 21H shows that the total of $25.00 has been paid and shows amessage on the screen to take the merchandise;

FIG. 21I is a touch screen display version of the screen shown in FIG.21;

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing the various operations with respect tocash payment;

FIG. 23 shows the payment of change either by credit to a card or by adeposit into a bank account;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 25 is a flow chart of a signature verification and characterrecognition process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention isembodied in an automated banking system that includes an apparatus 10having a housing 12 for housing the components of the apparatus whichare to receive an ATM card which can be inserted through an insert, slotor opening 14 in a front wall 16 of the housing. The insert slot 14 willaccept the usual ATM card, credit cards, IC cards or smart cards. Thecard slot 14 is located immediately above a user keyboard 18 and below auser display 20 comprising a touch screen of the type sold by Dyna-Prounder its Model No. DTFP 95633. The user keyboard 18 supplies commandsignals to a microcomputer 21, in this embodiment a 133 MhzPentium-based personal computer having a 2.1 gigabyte hard disk drivefor storing software, a 32 megabyte random access memory for storinginstructions and operands, a 133 Mhz Pentium microprocessor, an ISA bus,a PCI bus, a serial interface, and a parallel interface. (FIG. 3). Themicrocomputer 21 executes application software under Windows 95, whichamong other things, responds to keystrokes on the user keyboard 18, andsignals from other input devices as set forth below. The microcomputer21 drives the output display 20 in response to the software it isexecuting and the various signals it receives from the input devicesconnected to transfer signals to it.

Located immediately behind the insert card slot 14 is a magnetic cardreader 22 (FIG. 4) which will read the ATM card, send signals to themicrocomputer 21 through a serial communication card 21 a, andimmediately cause initialization, via the microcomputer 21, of allhardware and software parameters for an operation. The touch screen 20is provided to assist the user in identifying for the machine the areaof the image occupied by the account number and dollar amount of a bill,as will be explained. The illustrated keyboard 18 is a very tough,vandal-resistant, industrial keyboard, such as the Model 300manufactured by Everswitch USA of Silver Springs, Md. The preferreddisplay 20 is a flat LCD display panel sold by Sony Corporation. Thekeyboard and display panels are selected because they are considered tobe tough, strong, easy-to-use, and difficult for thieves or criminals tovandalize or to misuse to illicitly obtain funds from the machine. Abackup storage device 23 connected to the computer 21 provides furthersecurity for the software and data stored on the hard drive.

As shown in connection with the flow chart of FIG. 8 entitled “insertcard and verify screen”, the user will see on the screen display 20 thewelcome message and a prompt to insert the banking (or ATM) card and toverify the password with the banking network. The user will be promptedto select English or Spanish as the language for the transactions asshown in FIG. 8F. The user will then touch the screen display to selectEnglish or Spanish for the transaction language.

In the card insert routine 300 a test is made in a step 302 to determinewhether the magnetic striped identification card has been placed in thecard reader. If it has not, control is transferred to a step 304prompting the user to insert the card through the card slot. The card isthen read in a step 306 and the user is prompted and enters a passwordin a step 308. A test is made in a step 310 to determine whether thepassword is verifiable with the banking network when communicated overthe modem 29. If the password is not, a test is made in a step 312allowing the password to be entered three more times. Assuming threeunsuccessful tries in a step 314, the incorrect password message isdisplayed and process loops back to the step 308. If the password isfound to be correct after step 310 the transaction is proceeded with ina step 316. If as a result of step 308 the transaction is cancelled,control is transferred to a step 320 testing for whether anothertransaction has been requested. This may be done by screen prompts to beanswered by the user as exemplified by the screen displays shown inFIGS. 15A and 15B. The selection may be made by keypads 26 and 27, asshown in FIG. 15A or by touch screen contact with the appropriatelylabelled portion of the screen display shown in FIG. 15B. If it is, aservice option screen 322 is displayed. If it is not, a test is made instep 324 to determine whether the card is in the card reader. If thecard reader does not have a card in it the welcome screen is displayedin a step 326. If the card is in the card reader it is ejected back tothe customer in a step 328. In the event that the password is enteredmore than three times control is transferred to a step 330 causing thecard to be eaten or retained and placed in a card bin. In a step 332 themessage is displayed on the touch screen that the card has been retainedand the touch screen after that displays the welcome screen in the step326.

The display shown in FIG. 8A prompts the user to insert the card. Afterthe insertion of the card, the display will prompt the user to pleaseenter the PIN or password number, as shown in FIG. 8B. The processing ofthe entered password is shown in FIG. 8C. If an incorrect password hasbeen used with the card, then the screen display will display, as shownin FIG. 8D, the phrase “incorrect password”, and prompt the user to“please try again”. If the subsequent or second password is incorrect,the machine retains the card and the screen display will show on itsface, as shown in FIG. 8E, the statement that there still is anincorrect password, and that the card is being retained. The card hasbeen “eaten” by the machine. The card can be retrieved only bycontacting the financial institution owning the machine. Having verifiedthe card and having verified the password or PIN number with the bankingnetwork over a modem 29 or the like, the machine 10 is ready to proceedwith a transaction. The modem 29 communicates with the computer 21through the serial interface 21 a to which it is connected.

The user display screen 20 will then display the transaction optionsavailable to the user, such as those shown in FIG. 9 which include 1)withdraw; 2) deposit; 3) cash check; 4) cash money order; 5) buy moneyorder; 6) wire transfer; 7) bill payments; 8) purchase (lottery tickets,stamps and telephone cards). The display shown in FIG. 9 will be on thepanel display 20 and adjacent a pair of flanking additional keypads 26and 27 (FIGS. 1 and 6), which have arrow keys which are aligned withthese options 1-8. That is, the pressing of the arrow key 26 a oppositethe number “1)” “WITHDRAW” on the screen 20 will initiate a withdrawal.Whereas, the operation of the second arrow key 27 a in the right handbank of keys will initiate a “BUY MONEY ORDER” operation, to bedescribed hereinafter.

Assuming the user has selected the ”1)“withdrawal option by depressingthe arrow key 26 a opposite number “1) WITHDRAW”, the screen display 20will then display a request to an account for a withdrawal, i.e., from achecking or savings account. This is shown in FIG. 10 with the displayof a “1) CHECKING” and a “2) SAVINGS” on the screen display opposite thearrow keys 26 a and 26 b. Assuming that the user wishes to withdrawmoney from a checking account, the user will press the arrow key 26 a.The screen display 20 will then show the display of FIG. 11 with thedisplay labeled “WITHDRAW FROM CHECKING” and with the monetary amounts“20”, “40”, “50”, “100”, “200” and other listed opposite the selectionarrow keys 26 a-26 c and 27 a-27 c, respectively. By operating one ofthe particular arrow keys, i.e., the arrow key $20.00 for withdrawalfrom checking, will signal other positions of the apparatus 10 toperform a number of operations shown on the flow chart entitled“WITHDRAW screen” shown in FIG. 11A.

In a step 340 the withdraw screen is engaged and in a step 342 the useris prompted by the screen to insert the card and a verify screen isdisplayed. If the card is verified control is transferred to a step 344allowing the user to choose from a present withdrawal amount. If theuser chooses to cancel the transaction control is transferred to a step346 testing for another transaction. If the user chooses not to choosefrom a preset withdrawal amount, the user may enter the withdrawalamount in $5.00 increments in a step 348 or may cancel the transactionand proceed to the other transaction test step 346. Assuming that thewithdrawal amount has been entered in $5.00 increments, the withdrawaltransaction is performed in a step 350 via checking over the bankingnetwork. In a step 352 the cash dispenser dispenses the withdrawn amountand in a step 354 the receipt is printed by the receipt printed. Controlis then transferred to the step 346 testing for additional transactionprompts. If there is, the service option screen is then displayed in astep 360. If not, the card is ejected from the card reader in a step 362and the welcome screen is displayed in a step 364.

A connection will then be made by the electronics network and modem viathe banking network to access the customer's account in the bank; andthen there will be an operation of a cash dispenser 30 (FIGS. 1 and 5)to dispense $20.00 in cash. The cash dispenser communicates with thecomputer 21 through the serial communication device 21 a to which it isconnected, as shown in FIG. 24.

The cash dispenser 30 herein is a typical cash dispenser unit used in anATM machine. The illustrated cash dispenser is a G & D America, Inc.Model ACD which is made by Giestcke and Debrient America, Inc. Theillustrated cash dispenser 30 has four (4) bins. Each bin can hold fourhundred notes. The preferred cash dispenser 30 is loaded with fourhundred $5.00 notes in one bin. The other three bins are each loadedwith four hundred $20.00 notes. Manifestly, more or less bins may beused and also different cash dispensers may be used than that describedherein.

The illustrated and preferred cash dispenser 30, as shown in FIG. 5, ismounted for sliding horizontally to the right for reloading, and is slidback into the position shown in FIG. 5 where it is supported on slidetracks 32 mounted on the housing 12. The cash being dispensed dropsthrough a chute 36 into a hopper 38 having a pivoted axis door 40. Thepivoted access door 40 allows the dispensed cash to drop into adispensed cash bin 42. As shown in FIG. 6, in order to withdrawdispensed cash the user will reach through a cash bin window 46 in thefront housing wall 16 and remove the cash from the bin 42. As shown inFIG. 7A, access to the interior of the housing 12 and to the cashdispenser 30 for the replenishing the cash is through a rear housingdoor 44. The rear housing door 44 has a double security lock 47 a and 47b and a handle 48. With the rear housing door 44 open, the cash bins canbe accessed and slid along the tracks 32. The double security lock 47 aand 47 b provides security for the cash sections in the normal manner ofan ATM.

If the user had chosen the “SAVINGS ACCOUNT” on the display 20 forwithdrawal transaction (shown in FIG. 10), she would have pressed thearrow key 26 b opposite the “SAVINGS ACCOUNT” prompt on the screendisplay 20. As shown in FIG. 10, the display 20 would then show thewithdrawal from savings screen having the prompt “WITHDRAW FROMSAVINGS.” The user is requested to enter the amount in $5.00 incrementsof the amount to be withdrawn. In this instance, the user operates thekeyboard to type in $500.00, the amount to be withdrawn from savings. Insuch event, the withdraw screen and flow chart shown in FIG. 12 is usedto perform the withdrawal from savings by the modem through the bankingnetwork, and the cash dispenser 30 is then operated to dispense the cashinto the cash bin 42 for removal by the user.

For either a withdrawal from savings or a withdrawal from checking, itis preferred to print out a receipt with a receipt printer 50 shown inFIGS. 1 and 3. The receipt printer is connected to the computer 21through a parallel communication device 51. The receipt printer 50dispenses a printed paper receipt which is fed therefrom and is issued,in this instance, from a receipt dispensing slot 52 in the front wall 16of housing 12. The user will then receive the receipt which shows notonly the amount being withdrawn but also the transaction fee. Thus, thetotal withdrawn from checking or savings for the transaction willinclude not only the cash dispensed but also the transaction fee, i.e.,$1.00 per transaction.

The illustrated receipt printer 50 is preferably a Model MP342F,manufactured by Star Micronics America, Inc. of Piscataway, N.J. Thereceipt printer 50 has an automatic cutter for cutting the receipt afterprinting. Manifestly, other printers or receipt generators may be usedthan the model described herein.

The welcome screen is displayed in a step 220, as shown in FIG. 9A. In astep 222 all hardware and software parameters are initialized. In a step224 the service options screen is displayed, allowing a choice to enter.The withdrawal screen 226, the deposit screen 228, the check cashingscreen 230, the cashing of money order screen 232, buy money orderscreen 234, the wire transfer screen 236, the bill payment screen 238 ora make purchase screen 240.

Assuming now that the user had selected the deposit #2 option as shownin FIG. 9, and wanted to deposit into the checking or savings account,the user would have pressed the arrow key 26 b of the keypad 26, whichis opposite “DEPOSIT”. This action results in a request whether todeposit into a checking account or into a savings account. Assuming thedeposit was made into the checking account, the flow chart of FIG. 13shows the steps performed by apparatus 10 which will be described ingreater detail hereinafter.

The deposit screen, which is displayed in a step 380, requests insertionof the card and displays a verify screen in a step 382. If the card isnot inserted control is transferred to a step 384 testing for whetherany other transaction is to be carried out. If it is, in a step 386 theservice option screen is displayed. If not, in a step 388 the card isejected and the welcome screen is displayed in a step 390. In the eventthat the card has been verified a prompt is made to the user in the step392 as to the type of deposit. If the user elects to cancel thetransaction, control is transferred to the step 384. If the user selects“Cash”, a cash deposit screen is displayed in a step 394. If they select“Checking”, a check deposit screen is displayed in a step 396 and ifthey choose “Money Order,” a money order deposit screen is displayed ina step 398. Control is then transferred to a step 400, causing theselected transaction to be performed by a modem 29 through the bankingnetwork. In a step 402 the receipt is printed out and control is thentransferred to the other transaction test step 384.

The deposit into checking screen display (FIG. 13A) prompts the userwith the statement: “WHAT WOULD LIKE TO DEPOSIT IN YOUR CHECKINGACCOUNT 1) cash; 2) check; or 3) money order”. Assuming that the userhas elected to deposit a check, the check transaction will be selectedby pressing the arrow key 26b of the keypad 26. As shown in FIG. 13B, arequest then will appear on the screen display 20 labeled ” DEPOSITCHECK” opposite a window 52 for the amount of the check. In the window52, the operator will then use the keyboard 18 to enter the depositamount of $675.52. In this instance, a service charge in the amount of$1.00 will also be displayed, as shown in FIG. 13B to the user. If theuser has not endorsed the check, the user will see, upon entering theamount, will be that shown in FIG. 13C, which will request the user to“sign the back of the check”, and “when ready to insert the check into ascanner slot”. A scanner slot 54 is located above the user display 20,as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. In this instance, the check will be insertedvertically. The illustrated slot 54 is approximately 4″×9″, and theinserted check will be scanned while it is in this vertical position, aswill be described hereinafter. As the check enters the slot 54, it isgripped by feed rollers and moved along a feeding track 56 (FIG. 2). Thecheck feeds directly into and stops at an imaging station 55 where thecheck is scanned or images of the front and the back sides of the checkare captured. A scanning and confirm flow chart is shown at FIG. 14. Itwill be described in greater detail hereinafter with respect to thesoftware control and operations of the machine. As shown in this flowchart, an optical character recognition (OCR) scanner scans thedocument. A magnetic ink (MICR) reader reads the magnetic ink data onthe check, which will include the bank's identification number as wellas the user's checking account number with the bank. Also, while thecheck is in this stopped position, its legal line will be scanned, andthe CAR line will be scanned to verify that the check is for the correctamount, in this instance $675.52. Also, while in the vertical stoppedposition, it is preferred to have a camera unit 58 and 60 (FIG. 2)disposed on opposite sides to capture images of both sides of the checkand connected through a SCSI device 59 to the computer 21. The imagesare stored on a magnetic recording medium in TIFF format and areprovided with a tag so that the image file, as shown in FIG. 14, can belater accessed if so desired.

At the beginning of the scanning operation, the check image is processedto ascertain if the check has been inserted correctly. In the scanningoperation 420 the document is inserted in the scanner slot in a step422. The scanner using the camera 58 and 60 scans both sides of thedocuments and reads the magnetic ink via a magnetic transducer in a step424. The document is placed in the holding area in a step 426 and adetermination is made in a step 428 as to whether the document is acheck or money order on the basis of the presence or absence of themagnetic ink data. A check is also made in a step 430 to determinewhether the document is inserted correctly. If it is not, the documentis ejected from the document slot in a step 432 and the touch screendisplays if the document is inserted incorrectly in a step 434 followingwhich control is transferred back to the step 422. If the document isnot a check or money order as determined in a step 428, control istransferred to a step 440 causing both sides of the document to be savedin a tagged image file format. If the document was inserted correctly astested for in step 430, both sides of the document are saved in a step440. In a step 442, the images are analyzed by amount recognitionsoftware of the types supplied by Mitek of San Diego, Calif., inparticular its Quickstrokes Version 2.5 software. Control is transferredto that software from step 442 and as may best be seen in FIG. 25, in astep 450 the software is run. In a step 452, the software recognitiondevice is created and initialized. The form files are read in a step454, which form files include the positions where the courtesy amountrecognition and where the signatures are likely stored in the fieldswithin the document. In a step 456 the scanned image file is read and ina step 458 the neural network contained within the Quickstrokes softwarerecognizes the characters written in the signature line as well as thecharacters written in the courtesy amount recognition space and in theamount recognition line. The recognized characters are then evaluatedfrom the standpoint of a present confidence level in a step 460, andcharacter strings representative of those characters are returned to thesoftware set forth in FIG. 14 for further evaluation. Referring now toFIG. 14 in a step 470, the strings representing the signatureverification as well as the amount on the document are forwarded to thebank network by the modem 29 for confirmation for payout. If there is noconfirmation control is transferred to a step 472 causing the documentto be ejected from the document slot and in a step 424 a documentrejection message is displayed. In a step 476 the current transaction isdenied. In the event that the documents are confirmed in a step 470, thecheck or money order is stacked in an accepted documents bin in a step478 and confirmation on the current transaction is sent to the bankingnetwork in a step 480.

If the images are not stored, the check is carried around the U-shapedfeed path 61 back to an eject slot 61 a in the housing wall 14 forretrieval by the user. The eject slot 61 a is parallel with and to theleft of the insert slot 54. Assuming that the check has been re-insertedcorrectly and images of both the front and back have been captured, thenthe check is sent to an escrow or holding area 64 in the check feedtrack. The holding area 64 communicates through the serial communicationdevice 21 a with the computer 21, as shown in FIG. 24. As best seen inFIG. 4 at the escrow area 64, the check is held for either depositinginto a store bin 66 if the check has been qualified and accepted, or thecheck depositing transaction, the check will be fed from the escrow areaback to the eject slot 61 a for removal by the user if failure to verifythe signature causes the check to be rejected for deposit. Assuming thatthe banking network has been connected by the modem 29 to other portionsof the apparatus 10 and that the check has been verified, the amountdeposited is sent over the banking network to the identified bank andidentified account of the user for deposit. The receipt printer 50 isthen operated to provide a written receipt to the user showing theamount deposited minus the transaction charge of $1.00.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the document handling of a money orderor a check will now be described in greater detail. The check isinserted vertically through the scanner slot 54 and passes in front of apair of first infrared sensors 101 and 102, which sense that the checkhas been inserted. These sensors are on opposite sides of a guide orfeed track 100 which includes a pair of spaced parallel plates 103 and103 a extending inwardly to the imaging station 55. Immediately beyondthe infrared sensors 101 and 102, which detect the insertion of thedocument, is a pressure roller 105 to push the check against the plate103. The check is pushed forwardly past a set of infrared sensors 110and 112, which will detect when the check is fully inserted into thescanner slot and is gripped by a feeding belt 112 that runs through anentry slot 114 between the image scanners 58 and 60 at the imagingstation 54. The feeding belt 112 extends through imaging station to alarge diameter roller 121 (FIG. 2B). The check pauses in its travel atthe imaging station 54, where the image taking video or other scanners58 and 60 take images of the front and back of the check. Opticalcharacter recognition readers read the magnetic ink recognitioncharacters for the bank and for the customer's account. Electronicsignals from the image takers 58 and 60 provide information concerningthe signature for the check, the legal line and the amount writtenthereon, and the CAR line and the amount written thereon, all of whichare stored magnetically, in this instance, and provided with tag numberfor later recapture.

As best seen in FIG. 2B, a U-shaped track 120 is provided around thelarge diameter roller 121 to guide the check to reverse its direction oftravel and to move into a slot between plates 122 and 123 of the checkguide track 100 to a pair of inlet infrared sensors 125 and 126, whichsense the check coming into the inlet of the escrow area 64. The feedingbelt 112 is a cogged timing belt which carries the checks about the drum121 and between the plates 122 and 123 to the inlet to the escrow area.The cogged feeding belt is driven by a stepper motor and travels aboutguide rollers 127.

At the escrow or holding area 64, there is provided a large belt drivingdrum 130 which drives a cogged feeding belt 131 for conveying the checkfirst upwardly and to the left into the holding area and from the latterinto the deposit bin 66 above the holding area 64. If the check is to berejected, the feeding belt 131 reverses its direction of travel to ejectthe check through the eject slot 62. The driving roller 130 includes astepper motor 132, which is mounted on the top of the roller 130. Thestepper motor 132 is reversible in its rotation for rotating a drum 130and the feeding belt 131 in opposite directions and through a controlleddistance.

Infrared sensors 125 and 126 sense the passage of the check from theimaging station 55 into the escrow area 64. The feeding belt 131 isguided along and travels past a series of guide rollers 134 a, 134 b,134 c and 134 d to the top of the holding area. The endless timing belt131 turns about the top guide roller 134d and travels downwardly and tothe right past a roller 136 to return to a side of the drum 130, as seenin FIG. 2A.

The check is pushed against the timing belt 131 to travel with thetiming belt by four sets of pressure rollers 140 a, 140 b, 140 c and 140d. At the top of the holding area is another pair of infrared sensors141 and 142, which sense the arrival of the upper edge of the check andthey signal that the check has been moved completely into the holdingarea with the lower end of the check being at or above the rollers 140 aand 134 a at the bottom of the holding area and aligned with the ejectslot 62. Once the check has been accepted, the stepper motor 132 isturned to drive the drum 130 and the feeding belt 131 to cause the checkto travel upwardly into the overhead deposit bin 66. On the other handif the check is rejected as being unacceptable, the feeding belt travelsin the opposite downward direction to push the lower edge of the checkthrough the eject slot 62 and return it to the user. A lower end of theguide plate and a spring guide finger 147 guide the outgoing ejectedcheck to slide and travel along a short guide plate 148 to the alignedeject slot 62. Infrared sensors 150 and 151 (FIG. 2A) at the bottom ofthe holding track sense when the check has been removed from the ejectslot by the machine user.

During the deposit transaction, the screen display 20 will show aconfirming message, such as shown in FIG. 13D, in the form of a bar thatprogresses from left to right in window 69 being viewed by the user. Asthe receipt is generated by receipt printer 50, the screen display 20(FIG. 13E) will show that $674.52 “WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.PLEASE TAKE THE RECEIPT WITH YOU.”

If, rather than depositing the check into a checking account, the userhad selected deposit into a savings account, the screen will display thedeposit into savings account shown in FIG. 13F. Then, the user wouldpress the arrow key 26b for the “CHECK”; and the check would have beendeposited the same as described above with respect to deposit into thechecking. A cash receipt would have been provided to the user, as wasthe cash receipt generated for the deposit into the checking account.

Assuming that the user had decided to deposit cash into checking and hadpushed the #1 cash button 26 a of the keypad for the display screen ofFIG. 13A or had pressed the same button for a cash deposit into savings(FIG. 13F), the processor would follow the steps of the cash depositflow chart shown in FIG. 13H.

In the cash deposit process 500 as set forth in FIG. 13H the cashacceptor is initialized in a step 502. Money is inserted in the cashacceptor in a step 504 and is accepted thereby. The bills are read andare transferred to a cash bin in a step 506 and the total of the billspresented in added up in a step 508. If the user elects to deposit morebills in the cash deposit in a step 510 control is transferred back tostep 5.04. If not, control is transferred to a step 512 where thedeposit transaction is proceeded with.

The user display 20 as shown in FIG. 13G for deposit cash would displaythe prompt “PLEASE INSERT YOUR. BILLS INTO THE ACCEPTOR SLOT 60, WHICHIS SHOWN IN THE RIGHTHAND SECTION ABOVE THE CASH DISPENSER.” As may bestbe seen in FIG. 5, the cash dispenser accepting slot 60 leads into acash acceptor module 62, which accepts cash, specifically bills indenominations of $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or $20.00. As shown in FIG. 24,the cash acceptor module 62 is connected to the computer 21 via aresistor network 62 a having a plurality of current limiting resistors.The resistor network is connected to a digital I/O board 62 b, in thisembodiment a National Instruments PC-DIO-96. The digital I/O board 62 bis coupled to the computer 21. The cash acceptor module 62 counts thedeposited bills and has a bin in a hopper 64 to receive the countedbills. The cash acceptor module 62 is pivotally mounted at 66 to beswung to a dotted line position for emptying deposited bills therefrom.The preferred cash acceptor module 62 merely stacks the inserted billsand counts the same. The cash acceptor module 62 is preferably a MarsElectronic International Cash Acceptor Model AL4-L1-U1M, which is one ofseveral available cash acceptors. It will not only stack the bills andretain them in a machine, but will add up the total amount of cash. Thecash flow chart shown in FIG. 13H will be described in greater detailhereinafter in connection with the software and overall control of themachine. The deposit transaction proceed from the flow chart of FIG. 13Hback to the flow chart of FIG. 13 to proceed through the modem andbanking methods to make the deposit into the user's checking or savingsaccount. The machine 10 will operate the receipt printer 50 to print areceipt to be dispensed to the user through the receipt slot 52, showingthe amount deposited less the transaction fee, which is illustrated as$1.00 in this instance.

When depositing cash, the illustrated cash acceptor 62 will total thecash received and show this cash being deposited, as shown on the screen20 which shows that the $20.00 has been deposited after $45.00 moredollars have been deposited, making for a total deposit of $65.00, asshown in FIG. 13J. A receipt will then be printed by the receipt printer50, and the user will be notified that $65.00 will be deposited in theuser's account (FIG. 13K).

Assuming that the user, when prompted by the options screen of FIGS. 3and 9, has elected to press the arrow key 26 c to initiate the checkcashing transaction, the user display 20 will prompt the user to enterthe amount of the check into the window 68 (FIG. 16). The flow chart,with respect to cashing a check, is shown in FIG. 16A.

The cash check process is entered at a point 520 and as a result, themagnetic card reader accepts a magnetic identification card in a step522 and displays a verify screen. The user can exit the transaction bytransferring to a step 524 where he or she is prompted for anothertransaction. If not, the amount of the check is entered in a step 526and the check is scanned and confirmed in a step 528 as set forthpreviously. The user then enters an amount in a step 530 to be receivedin cash and the banking network is accessed in a step 532 to determinewhether the check has a balance from which the check may be cashed. Ifso, in a step 534 the cash dispenser dispenses cash in the cash amountand in a step 536 the receipt is printed by the receipt printer. Controlis then transferred to a step 524 and if another transaction is desired,the service option screen is accessed in a step 526. If anothertransaction is not wanted, control is transferred to a step 528 causingthe card to be ejected from the card reader and in a step 530 thewelcome screen is displayed.

The user enters through the keyboard 18 the amount, such as $90.00,shown in FIG. 16B, the amount will be scanned and confirmed, and theservice charge of $1.00 is shown on the screen display of FIG. 16. Theuser may select to continue the transaction or to cancel it by pressingthe appropriate button of keypads 26 or 27. The touch screen displayshown in FIG. 16H allows the user to make the selection by touching theportions of the display labelled either CONTINUE or CANCEL. If the userhas not signed the back of the check, the user will be requested to doso (FIG. 16C). If the check was inserted backwards, as it is viewed bythe scanner, the check will be returned through the rejected materialoutlet slot 62. The user will invert the check and insert it now in thecorrect vertical position into the insert slot 54. From there the checkwill be carried into the scanning imaging station where cameras 58 and60 will capture the images of opposite sides of the check. The processorby executing document verification software will then analyze thesignature image and compare it with the profile signature of the user.Likewise, the processor by using the verification software, will alsoread the cursive legal amount line and the written numerical amount atthe CAR line, as will be described hereinafter in connection with thedocument verification software in greater detail.

After re-insertion of the check, the user will be requested to re-enterthe amount of $90.00 (FIG. 16D). The check image will again be processedand if the amounts match the keyed-in amount the user display will showan “OK” for the amount (FIG. 16D). During the scanning and theverification operations with communication to the user's account,through the banking modem, the screen will display “OCR” with a movablebar, as shown in FIG. 16E. The next prompt shown on this screen will beto enter the portion of the check amount that the user wants to receivein cash. The cash is selected in $5.00 increments. The machine theninforms the user any remaining amount of the check will be received incash (FIG. 16F). With reference to the specific example given herein asshown in FIG. 16F, the user's screen display 20 will show that there hasbeen a $90.00 check scan with a service charge of $1.00, leaving abalance of $89.00. The operator will have used the keyboard to enter therequest for $40.00 cash, in $5.00 increments, as shown in window 70. Aswill be explained in greater detail in connection with check cashingflow chart of. FIG. 16A, the cash dispenser 30 will then be operated todispense $40.00 into the cash bin 56, which the user will then remove.As shown in FIG. 16G, the amount of $40.00 will be deposited in theuser's account through the banking network; and the receipt printer 50will print a receipt for the deposit of $40.00.

The cashing of the money order is much like cashing a check. It will bedescribed hereinafter in connection with the flow chart shown in FIG.17, and in connection with the screen of FIG. 17A.

The cash money order process is accessed in a step 570. The magneticcard is prompted to be inserted in a step 522 and a verify screen israised. If the user decides to exit the transaction, she may so signaland control is transferred to a step 574, testing for whether anothertransaction is desired. Assuming that the card is verified and that thetransaction is to proceed, the amount of the money order to be paid outis entered in a step 576. In a step 578 the money order is inserted andscanned and confirmed, and in a step 580, assuming the confirmationoccurs, the user enters the amount for the money order to receive incash. In a step 580 a query is generated by a modem to the bankingnetwork to determine whether the amount of the money order is backed byfunds. Assuming that it is, in a step 584 the cash dispenser dispensesthe cash amount and a receipt is printed in a step 586. Control is thentransferred to the other transaction test step. If another transactionis desired the service option screen is displayed in a step 588 if not,the card reader is ejected in a step 590 and the welcome screen isdisplayed in a step 592.

Assuming that the user, when viewing the options available (FIG. 9) hadpressed the arrow 26d opposite “cash money order”, to institute thistransaction, a prompt is then made of the user, as shown in FIG. 17A, tooperate the keyboard 18 to enter the amount of the money order, which,in this instance, is $750.00. The screen will also show the transactionservice charge of $1.00 and the available amount of $100.00 in cash.

The cash money order screen displays $100.00 in a window 71 and promptsthe operator to enter from the keyboard 18 the amount of cash that theuser would like to receive in $5.00 increments. In this instance, theuser has entered $100.00 into the window 71. In a manner similar to thatused for the scanning of the check, the cameras 58 and 60 photographboth sides of the cash money order and locate the indicia showing theamount of the money order and read the amount indicia. The magnetic inkindicia identifying the issuer and the account of the issuer are read;and the signature on the back of the money order is scanned andconfirmed. Then a communications network via a modem is connected to theissuer's account, indicating that the authenticity of the money order isbeing checked. When the machine 10 receives signals that the money orderis authentic, the cash dispenser 30 is then operated to transfer $100.00cash into the cash bin 46 for removal by the user. If the user had notsigned the back of the money order, he would have been informed toreinsert the money order, as shown in FIG. 17B. If the money order couldnot be processed, it would be returned through the reject slot 62. Theuser display 20 would state that the money order could not be processedand that the user should check with his financial institution, as shownin FIG. 17C.

Assuming the user had selected, in FIG. 9, the #5 option of buying amoney order by pressing the right hand button 27 a on the keypad, thenthe buy money order screens and flow chart would have been operative, aswill now be described. The first prompt shown on the purchase moneyorder display 20 (FIG. 18), requests the name of the person to whom themoney order is to be paid. In this instance, the name is John Doe, asshown in FIGS. 18 and 18A. Having operated the user keyboard 18 to enterthe payee's name, i.e., “John Doe,” the operator will next enter theamount of $500.00, as shown in window 72 in FIG. 18A. The service chargeof $0.50 is shown so that the total amount needed for the purchase ofthe money is $500.50. As may best be seen in FIG. 18B, it is preferredto provide the purchaser of the money order with a number of options forpayment including by cash, by credit card withdrawal from an account ofthe user, and by a smart card. Or the user may return to the moneyorder, if he so desires. The flow chart for buying a money order isshown in FIG. 18B.

In a buy money order transaction, the process is entered via step 600and the money order recipient's name is entered in a step 602 or ifcancellation is desired, control is transferred to another transactiontest step 604. Assuming that the recipient's name has been entered, theamount of the money order is entered in a step 606 and in a step 608 amethod of payment is chosen causing prompts to occur via a cash paymentscreen 610, a credit card screen 612, a smart card payment screen 614 ora balance withdrawal screen 616. The particular transaction for paymentis then processed in a step 618 and the money order is printed out in astep 620. A receipt is printed in a step 622 and the transaction test604 is then made. If further transactions are to occur, the serviceoption screen is displayed in a step 624. If not, a test is done in astep 626 to determine if the card is in the card reader. If it is, thecard is ejected in a step 628 and the welcome screen is displayed in astep 630.

The buy money order transaction will be tagged and through the bankingnetwork, the printer 76 (FIG. 1) will print the money order. The moneyorder printer 76 is disposed, in this instance, side-by-side with thereceipt printer 50, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and is connected to thecomputer 21 through the parallel communication device 51, as shown inFIG. 24. The printed money order is dispensed from a money orderdispensing slot 78, which is adjacent to the receipt printing slot 72 inthe front housing wall 16 of the apparatus 10. The illustrated moneyorder printer may be similar to the receipt printer 50 and is availablefrom Star Micronics America, Inc., Model MP3342F. It includes anautomatic cutter.

As shown in FIG. 18C, the user screen display 20 will then display that$500.50 has been withdrawn from the user's account, and that the moneyorder is being printed. Both a money order and a receipt will be issuedfrom the money order slot 78 and the receipt slot 52, respectively.

If the user had selected the wire transfer option in FIG. 9 and haddepressed the arrow key 27 a for wire transfer, the screen of FIG. 19would be displayed on the user's display 20 prompting the user to usethe keyboard 18 to enter the name of the person to whom the money is tobe wired. Then the screen display 20 would request the name of the bank,as shown in FIG. 19A, which will be entered, such as First American. Thenext request of the user is shown in FIG. 19B and that is for theFederal routing code or the routing for the bank for the transfer. Therouting is to be typed in by the user using the keyboard. The number“7896654” has been typed in as the federal routing code in FIG. 19B. Theaccount number of the receiver is then requested, as shown in FIG. 19C.The account number in this instance is shown as “987-87654” and has beentyped in by the user using the keyboard 18.

Having entered the information for the wire transfer to a specificaccount, the screen display 20 requests the amount to be sent, which inthis instance, as shown in window 78 is $850.00. A service charge of10%, or $85.00 of the $850.00 amount charged is shown to the userbringing the transaction total to $935.00, as shown in window 78 a. Theflow chart for a wire transfer of money is shown in FIG. 19E.

The wire transfer process 640 is started with a step 642 for enteringinformation related to the transfer related to the bank the transfer isto be made to as well as the account. In a step 644 the amount to betransferred is entered. In a step 646 the method of paying for the wiretransfer is selected, causing control to transfer to a cash paymentscreen 648, to a credit card screen 650, to a smart card payment screen652 or to a withdrawal screen 654. Following that, in a step 656 theselected payment transfer occurs and the wire transfer occurs via themodem over the banking network. In a step 658 a receipt is printed andin a step 660 a test is made for whether another transaction is tooccur. If it is, a service option screen is displayed in a step 662. Ifit is not, a test is made in a step 664 to determine if the card is inthe reader. If so, the card is ejected in a step 666 and the welcomescreen is displayed in a step 668.

A request for the method, of payment which can be any of four differentpayment methods, is shown in FIG. 19F. In this instance, the options ofcash, credit card, withdrawal from my account, or smart card may beselected by operating the appropriate keypads 26 and 27 along thedisplay 20, shown in FIG. 19F. After selecting the appropriate method ofpayment, the machine is then connected over the banking network (FIG.19E) to the bank to deposit $850.00 in John Doe's account no. 987-87654.The printer will cause a printout of the receipt showing a payment andwire transfer to John Doe of $850.00 and a total transaction fee of$935.00, the latter may be charged by credit card, smart card, orwithdrawal from my account, as shown in FIG. 19E. On the other hand, theuser could have deposited cash of $935.00 to the cash acceptor slot 60,which would then count and hold the cash in the cash acceptor 34. Havingfinished the transaction, the charge card (if used for payment) would beejected, as shown in FIG. 19E.

Returning again to the options available as shown in FIG. 9, if theoperator had pressed the key 47 c on the keypad 47 to select the “billpayments” option, then a bill option screen (FIG. 20) would have beenshown on the user display 20. The bills which may be paid are listed onthe display 20, viz., telephone, electric, gas, cable, water and creditcards. The operator will use one of the keypad buttons on keypads 46 and47 to select from the screen of FIG. 4 the particular bill to be paid.In the alternative the bill payment selection may be made by touchingthe appropriately labelled region of the menu display on the touchscreen display shown in FIG. 20J. It will be requested on the userdisplay, as shown in FIG. 20A, to enter the amount for the billselected, such as $129.67 for the telephone bill. Then, the telephonebill may be inserted into the scanning material insert slot 54 where theimages of both sides of the bill will be captured. The particular billpayments have to be qualified with the user's account beforehand, andthe particular bill has to be recognized so that the amount of the billand the field of the money can be located as well as the identity of thecompany—the telephone company, in this instance. The verifier will readthe customer's account number, the payee's account number, and theamount of the bill. The position of this data on the bill as well as thescript, font, etc. will vary greatly. To aid in reading the bill, akeypad may be provided for operation by the user. Having manuallyidentified for the processor all of the fields on the image of bill, theinterpretation of the field image is done in the same manner asanalyzing a check or money order. The bill is verified, and if OK, therequest is then stated as to the total amount to be paid for thetransaction. The user then will receive the request to enter the amountto pay on the telephone bill, as shown in FIG. 20A, which in thisinstance, is $129.67. The service charge of $0.60 will be also displayedto the user on the user display 20 along with the total, which is shownin the window at the bottom of the screen. For instance, the totalcharge of $130.27 (FIG. 20A) to pay the particular telephone bill.

When paying a telephone bill the screen will then interrogate the useras to whether she wishes to pay another bill via an inquiry, such as theinquiry shown in FIG. 20C wherein it is desired to pay a gas bill of$45.22. The sum of $45.22 is entered by the user using the keyboard 18.As shown in FIG. 20D, the user is then prompted to load the gas billinto the scanner slot. The gas bill will be read in the same manner asthe telephone bill was read by the cameras 58 and 60. The magnetic orthe other optical character recognition information on the bill will beanalyzed to connect the payment of $45.22 to the appropriate account tothe bill paying network. If the user also decides to pay a gas bill, theuser will press “continue”. Herein, the user decided to pay a creditcard bill of $96.82 as shown in FIG. 20E for a third service charge of$0.60, which will bring the of the total service charges to $1.80.

The total amount of the three bills, the telephone bill, the gas billand the credit card bill plus the service charge will be $273.51.

Next, the method of payment is requested (FIG. 20F); and if the userelects to pay with credit card, he will press the keypad button 26 b andcause the screen FIG. 20G to be shown on the user panel 20, requestingthat the user insert the credit card bill into the slot. The billpayments have been made over the bills payment network and the billswill have been collected in the receiver bin. This process is set forthas shown in FIG. 20H.

The bill payment process 720 is entered by selecting the type of billsuch as telephone bill, electric bill, to be paid in a step 722. Thebill is scanned and verified in a step 724 and the amount to be paid isentered manually in a step 726. A test is made in a step 728 todetermine whether other bills are to be paid. If so, control istransferred to step 722. If not, control is transferred to a step 730,testing for other transactions. A method of payment inquiry is made in astep 732 and in response thereto, a cash screen is displayed in a step734 or a credit card payment screen is displayed in a step 736. A smartcard payment screen is displayed in a step 738 or a withdrawal screen isdisplayed in a step 740. After selecting the payment method, the fundsare then transferred so that the bill is paid via modem connection in astep 742 and a receipt is printed out in a step 744. If anothertransaction is desired from step 730, the service option screen isdisplayed in a step 746. Otherwise, a test is made to determine if thecard is in a card reader in a step 748. The card is ejected in a step750 and the welcome screen is displayed in a step 752.

When finished with the bill payment, the screen display shows that$273.51 has been withdrawn from the account in FIG. 20H with a notationthat “your bills are paid”. As flow chart for the bill payment shows inFIG. 20H, the receipt is printed by the receipt printer 50 which thenejects the receipt through the slot 52 to the user. The ATM card is thenejected from the card reader back to the user.

If the user had elected in FIG. 9 to buy lottery tickets, stamps ortelephone calling cards, the purchase option would be selected bydepressing the keypad button 47d to cause the purchase display screen ofFIG. 21 to be present on the user display 20, which shows the option ofbuying stamps at $6.50 a booklet, a smart card at $5.00 a card, or atelephone card at $10.00 a card obviously, the number of items to bepurchased could be enlarged to include lottery tickets or other end useritems, which could be dispensed easily through purchasing goodsdispensing slots 84, 85 and 86 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 below three goodsdispenser units comprising a lottery ticket dispenser 87, a stampdispenser 88, a telephone calling card dispenser 89 and a smart cardtransaction vendor or handler 89 a, all connected to the digital I/Oboard 62 b via the resistor network 62 a for communication with thecomputer 21. The dispenser receiving slots are located in the front wall16 of the housing 12, and the dispensers for the stamps, telephone cardsor smart card are mounted on rails 90, as best seen in FIG. 3. The rails90 allow for sliding movement so that they can be accessed through arear service door 94 (FIG. 7). The rear service door 94 has its ownsecurity lock 96 for denying unauthorized access to the interior of thehousing 12 and to the goods dispensers 87, 88 and 89. A central door 97having a security lock 98 can be opened to access the central portion ofthe machine 10 having the checks and the bills 66, the cameras 58 and60, etc. While a variety of dispensers could be used, the illustrateddispensers are card dispensers which are made by Asahi Seiko USA, Inc.,Model CD1000. Manifestly, dispensers may be used other than those carddispensers herein described by way of example.

As shown in FIG. 21, the user may select one or more of the variousitems to be purchased. A telephone card may be selected by pushing thekey 46 c to select one $10.00 card. By pressing the “continue” button,the user is then provided with a screen display, as shown in FIG. 21Bfor buying smart cards or stamps. In the alternative the touch screendisplay shown in FIG. 21I can be used to make the selection by touchingthe appropriately labelled region of the screen display. In thisinstance, three smart cards at $5.00 a card have been selected byoperating keypad button 46 b to result in a grand total of $25.00 inpurchases. The next screen to be shown on the display 20 prompts theuser to select the method of payment for the $25.00 purchase. The userwill then operate one of the keypads to select by cash, credit,withdrawal from account or smart card as a payment mode, as shown inFIG. 21C.

In this instance, the operator has decided to pay with cash and haspunched the arrow key 26 a on the keypad 26. The screen shown in FIG.21D will then be provided on the display 20 requesting the insertion ofthe cash into the cash acceptor slot 60. The cash is then verified ascounted, FIG. 21E shows that the user has inserted only $20.00, whichhas been accepted by the cash acceptor 64 and counted. The screen willthen show to the user in FIG. 21F that the payment of $21.00 isinsufficient for the total transaction of $25.00. If the user onlyinserts another $3.00, the transaction screen will show that the paymentis still $1.00 short, as shown in FIG. 21G wherein the transaction is$25.00. If another dollar bill is inserted into the machine, then theuser will see the screen shown in FIG. 21H, which will inform the userto take his merchandise with him. Dispensing of the merchandise occursas shown in the flow chart of FIG. 21A, and the machine control operatesthe receipt printer 50 to print a receipt for the user which will bedispensed at the dispensing receipt slot 52.

In order to make a purchase, the purchase process is entered in a step770. The item to be purchased, such as smart card balance, telephonecalling card, stamps or lottery tickets are selected in a step 772, orif desired, the transaction can be cancelled, causing control to betransferred to another transaction test step 774. Assuming that an itemis chosen to purchased such as a lottery ticket, the quantity of theitem is prompted for in a step 776 and entered, and a test is made in astep 778 as to whether another purchase is to be made. If it is, controlis transferred back to step 772. If not, in a step 780 the method ofpayment is selected, causing a cash payment screen to be displayed in astep 782 or a credit card screen to be displayed in a step 784, or asmart card payment screen to be displayed in a step 786 or a withdrawalscreen to be displayed in a step 778, following which the funds areaccepted and the merchandise, such as the lottery ticket, is dispensed,in a step 790. The receipt is printed in the step 792 and anothertransaction is tested for in step 774. If another transaction isdesired, the service options display screen is displayed in step 794. Ifit is not, a test is made to determine if the card is in the card readerin a step 796. The card is ejected in step 798 and the welcome screen isdisplayed in step 800.

As above described herein, it is preferred not to have any coins or coinchangers in the machine; and to provide $5.00 bills as the lowestdenomination bills that will be paid out in change. Usually, the cashpayment process will follow the flow chart shown in FIG. 22.

In order to effect a cash payment for one of the transactions such asthe purchase of lottery tickets, transfer of a balance into the smartcard or into a checking account or the like, the process is entered in astep 810 and the cash acceptor is initialized in a step 812. Thecurrency is accepted in a step 814 and is totaled in a step 816. Theaccepted bills are stacked in the holding area in step 818 and a test ismade to determine whether the total covers the transaction amount in astep 820. If it does not, more money is accepted in a step 814. If thetransaction is covered a step is made in a step 822 to determine ifchange is due. If change is due, it is given in $5.00 increments withthe remainder credited to the smart card in a step 824 and thetransaction proceeds in a step 826.

The $5.00 and $20.00 dollar bills available for change are stacked inthe four cash bins. If the payment calculation shows that cash tenderedcovers the transaction, and that change is due, the change will be incash in $5.00 increments by operation of the cash dispenser.Alternatively, any remaining change of less than $5.00 will be creditedto a smart card or to a bank account to avoid the necessity of storingand handling small denomination bills and coins. The option will beexercised by the user with respect to change as shown on the screendisplay (FIG. 23). The user can insert a smart card into the card slot14, and the smart card writer 89 a (FIG. 1) will write the change byincreasing the balance on the smart card, and then return the smart cardto the user. If the user wants to deposit the change into his account,the user will operate arrow key 26 b to cause the deposit transaction tooccur over the banking network.

It will be appreciated that although various aspects of the inventionhave been described with respect to specific embodiments, alternativesand modifications will be apparent from the present disclosure, whichare within the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth inthe following claims.

1. An unattended banking machine for performing a number of banking andother transactions by a user, said banking machine comprising: a cashacceptor for accepting cash from a user and for totalling the amount ofcash received; a cash dispenser for dispensing cash to a user; a userinterface and display operable by the user to select transactions, entercommands, and to receive information from the machine; a card acceptorfor receiving and verifying a qualified user's card; a receipt generatorfor generating receipts for the user including the total of the amountof cash received; a document cashing apparatus including a documentreceiver in the machine; a reader for reading the cash amount for thedocument; and a signature verifier for examining the signature of theuser on a document and for confirming if the signature is valid prior todispensing cash to the user from the cash dispenser.
 2. A bankingmachine in accordance with claim 1 wherein a dispenser is provided inthe machine for dispensing end user items after payment by the qualifieduser.
 3. A banking machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the userinterface and display comprises a keypad operable by the user; a displayscreen to display transactions relating to cash for the user; and aselector operable by the user to choose at least one among several cashtransactions available to the user.
 4. A banking machine in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the document is a check and comprises: a reader forreading magnetic ink character recognition data of a bank on the check;and a communication network having a modem for connection through anetwork to the bank identified on the check.
 5. A machine in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the document is a money order, and the signatureverifier includes a reader for reading a cursive signature on the backof a money order.
 6. A banking machine in accordance with claim 1 forpaying a bill by the user, comprising: a bill acceptor for receiving thebill document; a scanner for scanning the bill document; a modemcommunication network for communicating to the bill issuer's bankaccount that the payment being made by the user; and a receipt generatorfor generating a receipt of the paid bill to the user.
 7. A bankingmachine in accordance with claim 1 wherein: money order blanks arestored in the machine; signals are generated by the user at the user'sinterface and display to cause the printer to print the amount on themoney order blank to form a money order; and a dispenser dispenses themoney order to the machine user.
 8. An automated banking system forreceiving payment from a user and for wire transfer of funds to atransferee in a banking network, said system comprising: an automatedmachine having a card receiver for receiving a card which identifies theuser as being qualified to use the banking network; an input device toenter the amount to be transferred to another; a keypad to enter theidentity of the transferee's account; a payment acceptor for acceptingpayment by the user for the wire transfer; a verifier to verify that thetransferee has an account in the banking network; and a communicationsystem having a modem in the banking network for wire transfer throughthe banking network to the verified transferee's account.
 9. Anautomated banking system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the paymentacceptor comprises a cash receiver for receiving and totalling the cashreceived.
 10. An automated banking system in accordance with claim 8wherein the payment acceptor comprises: a card receiver for receiving acard for payment for the wire transfer; and means for reading the cardand for causing a debit on the card related to the cash beingtransferred by wire.
 11. An automated banking system in accordance withclaim 10 wherein the payment acceptor comprises a credit card readerwhich reads the credit card and performs a charge transaction over acredit card network for an amount related to the cash being wired. 12.An automated banking system in accordance with claim 8 wherein: paymentis made with a smart card; and a smart card reader and debit systemreads the card to ascertain an amount on the card sufficient for paymentof the cash being wired, and writes down the smart card by an amountrelated to the amount of cash being transferred by wire.
 13. Anautomated banking system in accordance with claim 8 wherein: a printerprints a receipt for the sender of the wire transfer; and atransactional record system makes and keeps a record of the wiretransfer.
 14. A banking system in accordance with claim 13 wherein aninput device operable by the sender causes connection to the sender'swithdrawal account to withdraw therefrom an amount sufficient to pay thewire transfer.
 15. A banking system in accordance with claim 8 wherein adisplay displays to the user a method of payment from among cash, creditcard, smart card or account withdrawal; and a selector is operable bythe user to select one of the methods of payment for the wire transfer.16. An automated banking system for payment of bills through a billspayment network comprising: an automated machine having a card receiverfor receiving the user's card and for identifying the user as beingqualified to use the machine; a display for displaying a selection ofbills payable through a bills payment network; a selector operable bythe user to select a bill to be paid from the bills being displayed; thedisplay displaying several methods of payment including payment by cash;a reader for reading the amount of the bill and an identity of a billpayee; a communications network including a modem for connection fromthe machine to a bills payment network; a bill receiver for receivingand storing the bill being paid; and a transaction recorder forrecording the bill transaction and payment.
 17. An automated bankingsystem in accordance with claim 16 further comprising a card reader forreading a payment card for payment and verifying that the payment cardis qualified for use with the bill payment network.
 18. An automatedbanking system in accordance with claim 17 wherein the payment card is asmart card, and further comprising: an analyzer for analyzing that thesmart card has sufficient funds thereon to pay the bill; and a smartcard writer to write off an amount related to the bill being paid on thesmart card.
 19. An automated banking system in accordance with claim 17wherein: the payment card is a credit card; and wherein a credit cardcommunication means is connected through a modem to charge the billamount to the credit card account of the user.
 20. A banking system inaccordance with claim 16 wherein: several bills may be selected forpayment; a totalizer totals the amounts paid for each bill and fortransactional charges; and a receipt generator generates a receiptshowing the bills paid, transactional charges and the total amount paidby the user.
 21. A method of providing an automated banking systemmachine with the capability of wire transfer of funds from a user to atransferee within the banking network, comprising: providing anautomated machine having a card receiver for receiving a card whichidentifies the user as being qualified to use the machine and bankingnetwork; putting into the machine an identification of the bank throughwhich the transfer is to be made along with the account number of thetransferee; entering the amount to be wire transferred to thetransferee; providing the machine with a method of payment for the wiretransfer; and communicating through the bank system over a modem forwire transfer to the banking network to the verified transferee'saccount in the receiving bank.
 22. A method in accordance with claim 21further comprising: depositing cash for the wire transfer; counting thecash received in the machine; and verifying it as being an amount tocover the wire transferred amount and a transaction fee therefor.
 23. Amethod in accordance with claim 21 further comprising: selecting paymentfor the wire transfer from a card; and reading the card and causing adebit on the card related to the amount of cash being wired to thetransferee.
 24. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein the step ofproviding a card includes the use of a credit card; and furthercomprising communicating, over a credit card network, the amount of thecash being wired and the transactional fee which are to be charged tothe user's credit card.
 25. A method in accordance with claim 23 whereinthe payment is being made with a smart card and further comprising:reading the smart card to ascertain if the amount on the card issufficient for payment of the transaction including the cash beingwired; writing down on the smart card the amount of the transaction forthe wire transfer; and returning the smart card to the user.
 26. Amethod in accordance with claim 21 further comprising: printing areceipt for the transactional cost of the wire transfer; providing thereceipt to the user; and recording, internally within the machine, atransaction record of the wire transfer.
 27. A method in accordance withclaim 21 further comprising: selecting payment from an account of theuser; and connecting via a communication network, including a modem tothe user's bank, to withdraw from the user's account, an amountsufficient to pay for the wire transfer transaction.
 28. A method inaccordance with claim 21 wherein there is provided a display to the userrequesting a selection for the method of payment from among the optionsof paying with cash, the user's credit card, a smart card, or withdrawalfrom the user's account; and the user selects one of the methods ofpayment for the wire transfer.
 29. A method for using an automatedbanking machine for the payment of bills through a bill payment network,comprising: providing an automated banking machine having a cardreceiver for receiving the user's card and for identifying the user asbeing qualified to use the machine; a display for displaying a selectionof bill transactions that are available to be paid through a billspayment network connected to the automated machine; manually selectingone of the bill transactions for paying a bill from those beingdisplayed to the user; displaying to the user several methods of paymentincluding payment by cash; inserting the bill into the machine forreading the amount of the bill and the identity of the bill payee;communicating over communications network including a modem forconnection from the machine to a bills payment network; transmitting theinformation of payment being received from the user for the bill; andstoring the bill being paid in the machine.
 30. A method in accordancewith claim 29 further comprising: selecting the option of payment by acard; inserting the credit card into the machine for reading; andverifying that the credit card is qualified for use with the billpayment network.
 31. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein thepayment card comprises a smart card and further comprising: reading thefunds available for paying the bill on the smart card; and writing offfrom the smart card an amount to cover the bill payment transaction andthe transactional cost.
 32. A method in accordance with claim 29 whereinthe payment card comprises a credit card and further comprisingcommunicating through a modem to the credit card account, the amount tobe charged to the credit card account because of the wire transfertransaction.
 33. A method in accordance with claim 29 furthercomprising: selecting several bills for payment; totalling the amountfor each bill and its associated transactional charges; and generating areceipt showing the bills paid, transactional charges and the totalamount being paid by the user.